KCMO School District and CC Plaza have the same problem: irresponsible, lazy parents.

The bad news? Sure, we all know now, and have since at least Sunday morning that there were kids roaming the Plaza again, Saturday night and that shots were fired (5 to 6, it's said). Additional bad news? Mayor James was there. But therein lies, also, the good news because now, suddenly, our mayor is invested in both recognizing and solving this problem. I--and, I think others--have been calling for the mayor and his office and City Hall and the City Council and churches and their leaders and businesses and civic leaders to get together to see what kind of solutions could be offered to solve both this problem and the problems of shootings and drive-by shootings, etc. Now, suddenly, since Mayor James was there when the shots rang out, he's saying the same thing, fortunately. According to today's Star: "Churches, schools and businesses, also, need to get involved, he said." Thanks for finally joining us, Mayor. He also pointed out in this morning's article in the Star that parents are responsible for this, too. So maybe, just maybe, if the city and School District, both, are trying to solve this same parental problem--and I think we all agree they are--maybe we can get closer to a combined solution for both. It won't be a quick fix but the curfew for teens seems like a great, fair and sensible place to begin. I think we should follow Philadelphia's example with fines of $300.00 per teen and $500.00 per parent for violating the curfew, too. That would make people pay attention rather quickly. If it's good enough for Philly, it seems good enough for us, as well. Here's wishing us all luck. Here's hoping.

"Best and Worst Drinks at Trader Joe's"

For all the neophytes in the area who may want to know, there is an article out today on, as it says above, the best and worst drinks at Trader Joe's you may want to check out. (See link following). Have a great weekend, y'all. Link: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/the-best-and-worst-drinks-at-trader-joes-2520597/

Best City for Housing Values: Just up the road

Another new ranking--this one from Kiplinger's and Kansas City is not in the top 5, anyway, but Omaha, dependable Omaha ranks number one: Best Cities for Housing Values, 2011 1. Omaha, Neb. Population (metro): 829,702; Unemployment rate: 4.6%; Cost-of-living index: 90.3; Median household income: $53,457. Wichita, Ks is number 8 and Cedar Rapids, Iowa is 9, for what it's worth. We'll just have to try harder, I guess, right? Link: http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/best-cities-for-housing-values-2011.html

Quote of the day

"...I'm a Democratic Socialist which means the function of government is to represent middle-income and working people rather than just the wealthy and the powerful. You know, one of the things we have done here, we've become very religious in worshipping greed and we put on the front pages of magazines pictures of people who have made millions of dollars. We ignore the cops, the policemen, the teachers, the nurses wo every day are doing so much to improve the lives of people. We need to change our value system." --Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent, Vermont. Links: http://michaelmoore.com/books-films/capitalism-love-story; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232207/; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhydyxRjujU; http://sanders.senate.gov/

FDR's "2nd Bill of Rights"

After watching Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" yesterday, I learned President Franklin Roosevelt actually proposed a "2nd Bill of Rights" in 1944, a year before his death. Would that we would have gotten these things. It was a brief speech but here's what he called for. You can either click on the link below or go watch and listen to the speech online, of course, but he basically laid out a plan calling for 8 "rights" we should all have, as Americans. They were: The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation; The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation; The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living; The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad; The right of every family to a decent home; The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health; The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment; The right to a good education. He ended by saying this: For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world." FDR was brilliant on so many issues and situations. He wasn't perfect or flawless by any means but he was correct about the Great Depression and what we needed to do in most cases and he was certainly, absolutely correct on this. And we'll apparently never have them. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bill_of_Rights

An email going around about changing Congress

Have you received this email on changing our Congress? The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple. The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc. We can now communicate with one another far quicker. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure. Congressional Reform Act of 2011 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office. 2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just like the rest of us. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this current contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress should be an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. I have to say, it seems like a great idea to me and, I'd bet, to most Americans.

Great news on "payday loan" outlets

Great news last evening when I saw that a local organization is pushing to get a payday loan law passed for the state so they can be regulated, in the first place, but also so the highest interest rate they can charge isn't 400 percent or even up to 1,950 percent. Yes, right now all that is possible and it's disgusting. It preys on the poor. From KCTV 5 News: KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - A grassroots group of community and faith leaders announced Tuesday that they will ask Missouri voters to approve a measure capping the rate of interest charged on payday loans. The group, which is calling itself Missourians for Responsible Lending, hopes to have the measure placed on the November 2012 ballot. Missouri has among the weakest laws and regulations in the United States. In Missouri, the storefront lenders can charge as much as 1,950 percent interest. In Missouri, the average interest rate for a payday loan is 445 percent annually. What it boils down to is, folks, we all need to get behind this law, help get the signatures and get this on the ballot and then vote for it so it passes. "Usury" used to be against the law. This kind of abuse should be. Link: http://www.kctv5.com/story/15238754/group-aims-to-get-missouri-voters-to-cap-payday-loans

KCMO and KCK Mayors come together for a pow-wow

Good for them. I'd have love to attended and asked some rather pointed questions. One of the things I'd like to ask them is if they couldn't work together on the crime and shootings aspects of the region. Both have that same problem though, admittedly, Mayor James has it much worse, it seems, on the East side. Here's another thing these two mayors should work on--in fact, all the mayors in the region should get together, discuss problems and solutions but also commit to each other that wee'll stop this stupid, repeated and incessant habit of trying to steal one another's workers and jobs and companies away from each other. Then, that should be followed by the two governors of the two states--Missouri and Kansas--and the legislators. When this happens, when we allow companies to negotiate tax deals between cities and counties and states, only the companies win. Everyone else, but particularly the taxpayers and state revenues lose. It's stupid, as I said, and we need to stop allowing this to happen. Here's hoping. Link: http://www.kctv5.com/story/15238850/mayors-come-together-to-discuss-google-and-unity

"Community Meeting" online?

KCTV 5 had a news segment last evening, telling of a group that set up an online "Community Meeting" so people in the area can offer solutions on issues in the area (see link below). And this is all well and good but it seems there is one pre-eminent issue and that is the shootings and killings in the city. Apparently they're going to put up 6 issues per each time period and people can give input in the form of possible solutions, etc. It seems hopeful but again, unless and until this Mayor James and his staff and City Hall call the civic, business, church, community and social leaders together to address this big problem of these ignorant, senseless shootings and drive-by shootings, everything else is in the background. Links: http://www.kctv5.com/video?clipId=6120657&autostart=true; www.kcmomentum.com; http://www.kctv5.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6120657

Quote of the day

"Vandals burn down U.K. because a gangster is shot. Republicans burn down U.S. because a billionaire may be taxed." --Yonah W Grossman, Comedian, Social Commentator, Link: http://www.ywgrossman.com/ (also on Facebook).

How long until the riots start here, if ever?

News today tells of England suffering its third straight day of riots and looting and that it's spreading to other cities, now, too. This on top of other riots across Europe from Greece to Israel (over costs of living), and on. It's an odd thing, isn't it? It makes me wonder if we have that much in common with Europe or not. It makes me wonder how bad things have to get, how much joblessness, how little health care availability, how high the price of gas or food until the US begins such things, if ever. I wonder what it will take and then I hope, whatever that is, that we never get it, that we never get that bad, that low, that desperate. Link: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/647683/london_riot_turns_district_into_war_zone%3A_%26quot%3Bthe_system_is_cracking_and_it%27s_starting_to_show%26quot%3B

I expected KC on this list

A report is out today on Yahoo! News, listing the "15 Dangerous Cities for Driving" and, to my surprise, anyway, the Kansas City metropolitan area isn't on it. Thank goodness. As it turns out, Florida is the worst state overall with the South "over-represented." I'll leave that alone here. What was most interesting and noteworthy to our area, I thought, too, is that Little Rock was number 4 worst, and Tulsa was 13 and Oklahoma neighbor Oklahoma City was 15. On the far more positive side, neighboring Lincoln, Nebraska was ranked 6th safest city in the nation while Omaha was number 9. Link: http://autos.yahoo.com/news/15-dangerous-cities-for-driving.html

Senator Bernie Sanders, on our national credit rating

"I find it interesting to see S&P so vigilant today in downgrading the US credit rating. Where were they 4 years ago when they, and other credit rating agencies, helped cause this horrendous recession by providing AAA ratings to worthless sub-prime mortgage securities on behalf of Wall Street investment firms? Where were they last December when Congress and the White House drove up the national debt by $700 billion by extending Bush's tax breaks for the rich?" --Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent, Vermont. Link: https://www.facebook.com/#!/senatorsanders

Quote of the day

"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." - Seneca the Younger

Coming attraction

The United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt along with an explosive pyrotechnic display will headline the 2011 Kansas City Air Show August 20-21 at the Kansas City Wheeler Downtown Airport.

 

If you’re looking for a fun-filled event that promises to be a great time for virtually anyone, check out the 2012 Kansas City Aviation Expo Air Show on August 20th and 21st at the Kansas City Wheeler Downtown Airport. This year’s show has a star-studded lineup of The United States Air Force A-10 ThunderBolt, Jacquie B, U.S. Air Force Academy Gliders and much more. The 2011 air show will no doubt be an unforgettable experience for all who attend with many opportunities to see some of the best aviation acts in the country. For more information on event attractions and featured performers, ticket prices, directions, or any other questions you may have, go to http://www.kcairshow.com/ and check it out for yourself! For now, put it on your calendar and plan to attend.

Quote of the day--on the anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

"The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."  --Albert Einstein

A refresher course on the Republican Party

Lest you or anyone think the Republican Party of today only recently got this way, please read the following recounting of that grand old now-deceased leader of the Conservatives in general but Republicans, specifically as one writer to the editor did in the May 10, 2009 issue of The New York Times Magazine: "William F. Buckley began his career vehemently defending the worst excesses of McCarthyism; throughout the civil rights movement, opposed integration and black suffrage; during the Vietnam War, advocated using nuclear weapons against the North Vietnamese; supported unconditionally the racist apartheid government of South Africa; cheerled for the genocidal CIA-backed coup against Allende in Chile; and, in the early years of the AIDS pandemic, recommended that HIV-diagnosed patients be forcibly tattooed on their buttocks. Despite the virtues of his intellect and charisma, William F Buckley's only legacy to us is that mixture of homophobia, greed, racism, hypocrisy and military recklessness that is 21st-century conservatism." --David A. Murphy, Providence, RI. I hope that clears things up.

The Bulldog's "Chickenchanga"

If you're ever downtown and happen to go into The Bulldog restaurant and, while looking over the menu for something "different", as I and some friends did last evening, whatever you do, don't get this "chickenchanga". Yikes. Not only is this thing awful, it's also tiny. You've had bigger hot dogs on a bun. As for what it is: it's a salty, deep-fried pastry of some kind, greasy, wrapped around a bit of also very salty white, mild cheese and some chicken chunks. That's it. It's nearly unbelievable. Whoever came up with this thing apparently never went to an American Mexican restaurant and ordered an actual chimichanga. They bear absolutely no similarities to one another. Other food on the menu that our group ordered looked--and apparently was--just fine so you needn't stay away from the place entirely. At least, for me, as awful as this was, they comped my one drink. That took some sting out of it. Just never forget, AVOID THE CHICKENCHANGA. Don't say you weren't warned.

Burst water pipe update

There are two--count them, two--burst water pipes on Broadway around 8th Street right now. Go get 'em, Mayor. Heaven knows you're not going to do anything about the shootings in the city.

"Dirty Harry: 2012"---The movie we need now

For those who don't know, the "Dirty Harry" movie was about a cop (Clint Eastwood) who caught some good people with good intentions, killing legitimate criminals, because of what they--the "bad guys" did or were doing. They were drug dealers or heads of prostitution rings or whatever. The movie I'm suggesting here would be one of citizens, just like the original movie, who take it upon themselves to kill (yes, forgive me) the heads of corporations and political parties that are doing horrible things to the country, the US. These people would organize themselves throught social media--VERY 21st Century--not know each other (ala' "The Thomas Crown Affair") and would very stealthily assassinate, via the most technologically-forward ways possible, the heads of corporations, say, who are exploiting our tax laws or polluting the country, things like that. It wouldn't all be Left-Wingers doing this, by any means, either. It would, in the end, have to be shown that what they were doing was wrong, horribly wrong, but a) they'd have taken out a few of the worst, most egregious people and b) it would stand as a statement for the people, both in the movie and the viewers of the movie, out here in reality, that the people want and need their country back and want what's right done, not just what's good for corporations and profits. Oh, and, I hate to say it, but for "teaching" purposes, these vigilantes would also take out some of the most self-serving greedheads in Congress, too. I'm telling you, I'm inspired. I don't like "killer" movies but this one I'd see. We'd also have people from both all the political wings of all parties, like Chris Matthews and Glenn Beck and Michael Moore, etc., etc., denouncing what these people are doing. Naturally there would have to be the head of an oil company lost in there somewhere. We might call it "DB" or some such (to rhyme with BP, maybe?). Stay tuned, folks. I'll let you know if I start writing. (Update: On second thought, shortly after posting this, I realize no such movie could or should be made as there would be someone or some group of people out there who would take it as instruction).

K-K-K-Kansas City and C-C-C-Calamari

I've written here before how I loathe, among other things (like cheapness and really cheap people, among others) food trends. Fondue was and is just silly. It will also be nice when, hopefully one day soon, people can enjoy sushi--if they do--without having needed to be part of the group that had to "do it." That said, another fad food I've always despised in Kansas City is calamari. The only good or tempting thing about this "food"--and I use that term loosely here to describe anything that doesn't disagree with you that also goes in your mouth and digestive system--is the name. Calamari is fun to say but it stops there. If you ever want a chewy, flavorless food that also happens to be deep-fried, this is your dish. At least it is in this town. If, in other cities, this "food" is seasoned and tasty, I'd love to travel there and have it, just for the experience and to prove it can be done. If you sense I was just tricked or willed into it recently, yet again, you would be correct. It was this past Saturday evening on the Plaza at the new Coal and Vines. The place is fun enough and has great energy and it's attractive on the inside, what with it's walls of wines and small, twinkling votive candles but keep this in mind---don't get the calamari. The salmon tartare I'd recommend (if only they'd give a far more proper and equal balance of chips to tartare ratio--what were they thinking?). Do you suppose Europe tolerates goofy, unnecessary food trends the way we do here in the States?

Is World War III being waged right now?

You know how they say people are usually always fighting the "last war" and that that's also why they usually lose? News out this morning tells of a "State actor seen behind 'enormous' wave of cyber attacks" BOSTON (Reuters) - Security experts have discovered the biggest series of cyber attacks to date, involving the infiltration of the networks of 72 organizations including the United Nations, governments and companies around the world. Security company McAfee, which uncovered the intrusions, said it believed there was one "state actor" behind the attacks but declined to name it, though one security expert who has been briefed on the hacking said the evidence points to China. The long list of victims in the five-year campaign include the governments of the United States, Taiwan, India, South Korea, Vietnam and Canada; the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); the International Olympic Committee (IOC); the World Anti-Doping Agency; and an array of companies, from defense contractors to high-tech enterprises. The thing is, if we are in the midst of WWIII, we won't know until after someone's conquered. Sobering thought, no? Link: http://news.yahoo.com/biggest-ever-series-cyber-attacks-uncovered-u-n-040749882.html

Quote of the day

"Make no mistake: We are still held hostage by radical right. Paying ransom always leads to more extortion." --Robert Reich, political economist, professor, author, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Ford and Carter and was Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich

I refuse to get on the "global warming bandwagon" but...

As I said, I refuse to get in on the global warming mob because I think it's crucial to watch the "bigger picture" and not go by a cold day or hot spell. That said, I have also pointed out that a "bigger picture" does, I think, come from the melting of the ice caps and glaciers 'round the world. Now, today, comes this little tidbit of information having to do with last month's temperatures: "All 50 States Have Set High Temperature Records This July." Yep, that's what it said. With July's data now in the books, we got hot last month, coast to coast. But wait! There's more! "There have been 2,068 record high daily maximum temperatures in the United States..." And yet more: "More remarkably, and consistent with the expected effect of higher greenhouse gas concentrations, nights have been even warmer — 4,638 record high daily minimum temperatures were recorded, 3.4 percent of all readings." How will this month fare? Who can say? It could go either way, certainly, but as I say this, it's 106 or 107 degrees outside here in Kansas City. As for hope in the future, there is also an article over at Think Progress telling of "GOP Congressman: If We Take The Senate And White House In 2012, The EPA Will Be ‘Discontinued.’" Not very hopeful. Apparently the rich and corporations don't care for clean air, water and soil after all. Links: http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/07/25/277576/all-states-high-temperatures-july/; http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/07/27/280925/gop-2012-epa/

While they were screwing us on this debt deal...

...the Republicans were also putting riders into bills last week to strip our environmental laws of any real "teeth". From The New York Times this past Sunday: Concealed Weapons Against the Environment. "While almost no one was looking, House Republicans embarked last week on a broad assault on the nation’s environmental laws, using as their weapon the 2012 spending bill for the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. When debate began Monday, the bill included an astonishing 39 anti-environmental riders — so called because they ride along on appropriations bills even though they have nothing to do with spending and are designed to change policy, in this case disastrously. Riders generally are not subjected to hearings or extensive debate, and many would not survive on their own. They are often written in such a way that most people, even many Capitol Hill insiders, need a guide to understand them. They are, in short, bad policy pushed forward through a bad legislative process. A rider can be removed from the bill only with a vote to strike it. The Democrats managed one big victory on Wednesday when, by a vote of 224 to 202, the House struck one that would have gutted the Endangered Species Act by blocking the federal government from listing any new species as threatened or endangered and barring it from protecting vital habitat — a provision so extreme that even some Republicans could not countenance it." To show how they're screwing us and the environment, go to this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/opinion/sunday/concealed-weapons-against-the-environment.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=environment&st=Search

George Carlin, seemingly on this recent debt ceiling negotiation

Though George Carlin is long gone, sadly and unfortunately, he said this years ago but it's still relevant, of course, and fits this recent debt ceiling negotiation nonsense we just went through. Enjoy, such as you can.

Quote of the day--still on the debt ceiling mess

"What Republicans have just gotten away with calls our whole system of government into question. After all, how can American democracy work if whichever party is most prepared to be ruthless, to threaten the nation’s economic security, gets to dictate policy?" --Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize-winning economist, writer and columnist for The New York Times. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/opinion/the-president-surrenders-on-debt-ceiling.html?_r=2

Quote of the day--on the debt deal

"A deal to raise the federal debt ceiling is in the works. If it goes through, many commentators will declare that disaster was avoided. But they will be wrong. For the deal itself, given the available information, is a disaster, and not just for President Obama and his party. It will damage an already depressed economy; it will probably make America’s long-run deficit problem worse, not better; and most important, by demonstrating that raw extortion works and carries no political cost, it will take America a long way down the road to banana-republic status." --Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize-winning economist, writer and columnist for The New York Times. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/opinion/the-president-surrenders-on-debt-ceiling.html?_r=2

America: 2 thoughts on our current (financial) state

It seems there are, in fact, two thoughts on the current financial state of America, I believe. The first is our own, American reference and that is that we thought we were rich or wealthy or fortunate or whatever we shall call it and that we would always remain so, if not, in fact, get even wealthier. The second thought, I think, that of, likely, both history in the overall sense--the bigger picture, if you will--and the rest of the world in a much shorter term, is that we were, yes, wealthy but that we always spent, spent, spent like a rather drunken sailor--especially since 2000--and that we were rather like the foolish cousin who would eventually get his/her comeuppance. I think there are, at last, a fair amount of people who, even now, here in this country, finally see that 2nd one coming about. I could be wrong but I don't think so. We shall certainly see, won't we?

OK Go has done it again